Are you experiencing “post-election stress disorder”?

Feelings of stress and anxiety tied to election results can persist even after the votes are counted, said University of Cincinnati psychiatrist Julia Stimpfl, MD, even though “post-election stress disorder” is not officially recognized as a mental illness.

As she recently told Spectrum News 1 Ohio, those feelings can linger even after an election is finalized.

“There may be a lot of kind of emotional fatigue, kind of dread about the future and various kinds of physical and mental symptoms of anxiety,” said Stimpfl, a College of Medicine assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience.

She said that taking time away from negative stimuli and stressors can help people reset.

“You need some time to decompress,” said Stimpfl, who is also a UC Health physician in psychiatry, pediatric psychiatry and psychopharmacology. “It’s absolutely okay for people to decide to take a break from social media, the news, or even just not talking about these things in order to ground yourself a little bit.”

Watch the full Spectrum News 1 Ohio report.

Featured image at the top: Feelings of stress and anxiety tied to election results can persist even after the votes are counted. Photo/University of Cincinnati Marketing + Brand.